Sheikh’s ‘recording ban on 9/11 lecture’

An imam conducting a lecture in which he discussed the 9/11 terror attacks told followers not to record his speech as it could be used against him, a jury heard. Sheikh Khalid Yasin interrupted the talk he was giving at a £5-a-head function to warn worshippers not to record his speech on their mobile phones, a court was told.

An imam conducting a lecture in which he discussed the 9/11 terror attacks told followers not to record his speech as it could be used against him, a jury heard.

Sheikh Khalid Yasin interrupted the talk he was giving at a £5-a-head function to warn worshippers not to record his speech on their mobile phones, a court was told.

The sheikh was said to be one of two charismatic imams used by a gang of alleged radical Muslims accused of encouraging people to carry out a holy war, or jihad, in Afghanistan.

But in the audience an undercover police officer known as ‘Ray’ was recording the proceedings at the Nawab restaurant in Stockport Road, Levenshulme, on December 11, 2008.

Ray, giving evidence from behind screens, told the jury at Manchester Crown Court that the main speaker was the sheikh, who he said was associated with the Madina mosque in Levenshulme.

Ray said: "Sheikh Khalid Yasin took to the stage and started to talk, at which point a number of people in the audience lifted their phones and started to take pictures or to film him.

"Sheikh Khalid Yasin stopped talking and requested no recording devices should be used in the hall as it could be used against him." When questioned by Andrew Edis QC, for the Crown, Ray told the jury the sheikh discussed controversial issues such as the 9/11 terror attacks in broken English and Arabic.

Ray, who was given the Islamic name Abdul Rahman, later told the court how he converted to Islam on December 30, 2008 in the basement of the Longsight home of Munir Farooqi, said to be the most influential member of the gang. The four defendants are accused of using religious stalls in Longsight and Manchester first to convert subjects to Islam before then grooming them to carry out jihad in Afghanistan. Mr Farooqi, 54, his son Harris Farooqi, 27, both of Victoria Terrace, Longsight, Matthew Newton, 29, and Israr Malik, 22, are charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism by attempting to recruit others to engage in violence abroad.

Munir Farooqi is also accused of three counts of soliciting to murder and a single count of distributing terrorist publications.